Means for carrying and cleaning golf balls



C- E- BEARD Aug. 19, 1969 MEANS FOR CARRYING ANDGLEANING GOLF BALLS Filed Sept. 22, 1967 INVEflrog CHESTER E. BEARD United States Patent 3,462,230 MEANS FOR CARRYING AND CLEANING GOLF BALLS Chester E. Beard, Box 99A, Hickory Flat, Miss. 38633 Filed Sept. 22, 1967, Set. N0. 669,810 Int. Cl. A46b /00; A6311 71/00; B08!) 9/00 U.S. Cl. 401-11 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for carrying standard golf balls and for means for cleaning such golf balls preparatory to the use thereof, which device comprises a substantially cylindrical container of resilient and limitedly flexible plastic material with a flexible and compressible moisture absorbent synthetic foam contained therein, the resilient and flexible container limitedly yielding under the insertion of a golf ball into the container and effectively gripping the inserted golf ball against accidental removal while permitting rotation of the golf ball against the foam and the liquid retained therein, and such container flexibility permitting the ready removal of the golf ball from the container when desired.

This invention relates to certainnew and useful improvements in portable means for carrying and cleaning golf balls, used while participating in the game of golf. The unit which I will describe will weigh less than once ounce, including the clip attached thereto, which clip is attachable to the belt, pocket shirt or other part of the players clothing or another object, such as the golf bag. The present invention is directed to a simple and efficient means of carrying a spare golf ball, permitting ready removal of such golf ball when needed and of maintaining of such golf ball in a clean, usable condition throughout the game of golf. The means by which the forgoing and other objects of the invention are accomplished and the manner of their accomplishment with readily be understood from the following specification upon reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the device with an uncompressed elastic compressible foam extended above the top of the body of the container.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation with a golf ball inserted in the ball carrying chamber of the container.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the device.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the container with the liquid retaining foam removed therefrom.

Referring now to the drawings in which the various parts are indicated by numerals, it will be seen that the present invention provides a simple means for receiving and holding a golf ball 16 by simply pressing the golf ball 16 into a ball holding chamber 18, and which ball holding chamber comprises the upper portion of a container from a shoulder 14, formed on the interior of the container and spaced below the upper rim of the container, 14 upward to a plastic bead 12, formed around and inwardly of the upper rim of the container chamber 18. Each reference herein to a golf ball 16 will refer to a standard golf ball such as a standard size of any golf ball established for the manufacture of golf balls in the United States or a standard size for golf balls manufactured in a foreign country. The relation of any size standard set up for the manufacture of golf balls will similarly be related to the size of ball holding chamber 18. In addition, as is well known and a matter of common knowledge, the spherical surface of standard golf balls is intended uniform- 1y over such surface with a large plurality of substantially evenly spaced indentations commonly known as dots. This is best shown in FIG. 2. When golf ball 16 is pressed 3,462,230 Patented Aug. 19, 1969 into the ball holding chamber 18, bead 12 at top of the ball holding chamber 18 will be expanded enough to let golf ball 16 enter ball holding chamber 18 and rest on shoulder 14. The inside diameter across ball holding chamber 18 at bead 12 is less than the diameter of the standard golf ball 16, and standard golf ball 16 can be pressed into the ball holding chamber 18 due to the flexible nature of the plastic material used in molding the complete unit, with the exception of a metal clip 15 attached to the bottom of container 20, for connecting the container to some object convenient to the user, and a cartridge of liquidretain'ing, compressible, and porous plastic foam 11. The flexible nature of the plastic container also allows the ball to be removed very easily when a golf ball is needed. Since all standard golf balls 16 vary only slightly in their diameter to meet manufacturing standards and we use this standard to determine the diameter across the center portion of the ball holding chamber 18 in the area between the lower part of the bead 12 and above the top part of the shoulder 14 and this diameter can be the same as the diameter of the standard golf ball 16 or slightly smaller than the diameter of the golf ball 16. In order for the bead 12 to have an effective gripping action on the golf ball 16, it is necessary that the bead 12 is above the center circumference of the golf ball which would be onto the smaller portion of the ball above and beyond the center circumference when golf ball 16 is pressed into the chamber 18. When the golf ball 16 is pressed into the ball holding chamber 18 it is necessary that the ball 16 comes to rest on the shoulder 14 and at the same time the bead 12 is slightly beyond the center circumference of the ball 16 when the ball is pressed into the chamber 18. When the golf ball is pressed into the ball holding chamber 18 and ball 16 comes to rest on shoulder 14, the distance from the place where the ball contacts the shoulder 14 and where the bead 12 grips the ball (which are non-indented portions of the spherical surface of the ball intermediate the dots) will differ in measurement when a different standard ball is used. For a standard golf ball 16 pressed into the ball holding chamber 18 and the ball is resting on shoulder 14 then the head 12 will be slightly beyond the center circumference of the ball 16 which is to say that the ball 16 is slightly more than one half into the ball holding chamber 18. For ease in placing and removing ball 16 from chamber 18 it is recommended that ball be approximately one sixteenth of an inch beyond the center of the ball holding chamber 18.

The body member as in FIG. 2 is filled with the resilient compressible plastic foam 11. The foam 11 is cut to fill the body member 20 and preferably to project slightly above the top of the body member 20 with clearance between foam 11 and body member 20, when the body of the container is freed of ball 16. The clearance between the inside wall of body memebr 20 and foam 11 allows foam 11 to be compressed into ball holding chamber 18 and below shoulder 14 when ball 16 is pressed into place in ball holding chamber 18. The clearance between the inside wall of body member 20 and foam 11 allows the foam 11 to spring back to the top of body member 20 or slightly above the top and preferably body member 20 when ball 16 is removed. Foam 11 is attached, preferably by cementing, to the inner bottom of the body member to prevent the foam from falling out. The foam is dampened with a small amount of liquid, which may be Water, before use, and the dampness is substantially maintained in the foam 11 during the days play or longer since one ball is usually carried in the ball holding chamber 18 most of the time and when ball 16 is in place, the ball substantially shields foam 11 from the drying effect of the air. The dampened foam 11 prevents dirt from drying on the ball 16 and maintains ball 16 in a clean condition for play. A few turns of the ball 16 against the foam 11 in the course of playing the game Ofgolf will maintain the ball in p p a a clean condition at all times. In the course of playing the game of golf it will be customary to carry an extra ball in the carrying and cleaning unit being described, and when a ball being played with becomes soiled, it may be replaced wtih a ball from the carrying and cleaning unit and the soiled ball rotated several times against the dampened foam 11 and then pressed into the ball holding chamber 18, so that a ball 16 will be held in the ball holding chamber 18 at all times during the game of golf except when a dirty ball 16 is being replaced with a clean ball 16 or when a ball 16 is being rotated against the foam 11 for cleaning. When the ball 16 is pressed into the ball holding chamber 18 it not only stays in the chamber 18 until manually removed but it also shields the rest of the cavity where foam 11 is compressed and substantially prevents air from drying out the moisture in the foam 11 and, therefore, the dampness necessary for cleaning is maintained in the foam 11 in useful quantity for long periods of time. The ball 16 when pressed into ball holding chamber 18 shields air from reaching foam 11 at bead 12 and also at shoulder 14.

FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 shows the bottom of the carrying and cleaning unit with the clip attached to the bottom, which clip may easily be attached to the players belt, shirt or pants pocket or another convenient object.

I claim:

1. A device for carrying and cleaning a standard golf ball, which device comprises (A) a substantially cylindrical container,

(1) said container being of material which is fiexible and resilient and (2) having an open top end and (3) a closed bottom,

(4) said container having a shoulder extending around the interior of said container, intermediate said top end and said bottom, said shoulder providing a seat for a said standard golf ball when inserted into said container,

(5) the inner diameter of said container being minutely less than the major diameter of said standard golf ball, the flexible and resilient material of said container yielding for insertion of a said golf ball into said container and gripping g 7 said golf ball, when inserted, against accidental removal, p

(6) said material yielding under applied pressure releasing said gripping, freeing said golf ball for removal from said container, and

(B) moisture absorbent and retaining means housed in said container, contact of the surface of said golf ball with themoistureof said moisture absorbent and retaining. means providing cleaning for said golf ball surface.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1, in which said material of said container is of synthetic plastic.

3. A deyice in accordance with claim 1, in which attachment means 'is connected to said bottom for attachment of said device in a position convenient to a golfer.

. 4. A device in accordance with claim 3, in which said attachment means comprises a spring clip.

5. A device in accordance with claim 1, in which a bead is. positioned on the open top end of said container and extends around and inwardly of said open top end.

6. A device in accordance Wtih claim 5, in which said bead is of the material of said container.

7. A device in accordance with claim 1, in which said moisture absorbent and retaining means is a compressible and expandible porous member.

8. A device in accordance with claim 7, in which said porous member is a foam-like member of synthetic material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,608,705 9/1952 Dufi 401-11 2,624,900 l/1953 Smith 401-11 3,087,189 4/1963 Scanlon 401-11 1,710,816 4/1929 Evans l5----104.92 2,622,257 12/1952 Lemonds et a]. 15-10492 2,672,637 3/1954 Allen 15-10492 ROBERT W. MICHELL, Primary Examiner R. I. SMITH, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 15-21, 104.94 

